


A Bittersweet Request

by Saaimee (i_bananacake)



Category: Free!
Genre: Bakery and Coffee Shop, Fluff, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-30 23:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21436264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_bananacake/pseuds/Saaimee
Summary: Another fresh day, birds singing happily from the threes and people running around going from door to door all along the streets. The week was starting anew and along with it new possibilities, new journeys, new challenges… New challenges were the last thing I needed at that moment! But it did happen. And now I am here, sitting at this office table, biting the tips of my fingers nervously thinking “why did I go along with it?!”
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Kudos: 15





	A Bittersweet Request

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Amargo pedido doce.](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/534940) by Saaimee. 

Three in the afternoon and here I am again. Ah, every day is the same thing. In my break time, I always find a way to come to this bakery. If you ask me if my reason is the coffee, I will tell you it’s not. But it doesn’t mean it’s bad!

Don’t take me wrong. The cakes are amazing! Fluffy and not too sweet. Each one seems made in a different way but all of them are delicious! I know it because I probably have had tasted all of them, but, please, don’t go thinking that I am some kind of cake fanatic!

I like it, yes, but my interest here go a little further than that. Further than the colorful cakes, the hot coffee and the nice costumer service. Ah, yes. Him. The boy with black silk hair and ocean blue eyes. He has a face that never show emotion and a soft voice that tells the most direct words. The worker, my best friend and, maybe, the person I love. Ah…

There he is again with the white uniform and the brown apron. He looks so neat that make it seems that he just got ready few minutes ago. Watching him work makes me realize how much his actions oozes professionalism even if I know that down under that uniform he is wearing his diving shorts and that, maybe, right now while talking to this client he is thinking about water. Ah, Haru.

Usually I would look at this scene while smiling, taking short sips of my coffee, watching thought the windows all the people walking and, from time to time, would peek at the service desk looking for his always so serious face. However, today is different and the last thing I can do properly is turn to that desk and look… normal.

Ah, I think it’s the tenth time I’m sighing. And I am not even going to start talking about the tight hold in my nervous hands or the cold coffee in front of me! You know how hard is it to hide your feelings when you live together with the person you love? You know how much it hurts to have to choose each word you are going to use in a conversation? How horrible it is to wish for his hugs but only be able to watch him from afar? And, as if all of this “every day situation” wasn’t enough, today someone asked me to order a special cake here.

Ah… A friend of mine told me that he wants to confess his feelings for the girl he likes and though that this cake idea would be interesting. It’s a cute idea and I see no problems in helping him with it, but… For me. To go there. In front of Haru. And say “do you to go out with me?” Is out of question! It makes my heart race as if I was the one proposing!

Here I go again throwing myself over the table with that looser face feeling my stomach in panic.

Haru is so important to me and even so, I don’t know how to show it to him. I am grateful for him accepting me as a friend after all the time we have been together and I know that I should be happy with just it. But…

Another sigh and my eyes run the place looking for his face. Must be in the kitchen, I can’t find him. Hm… You know, this place looks kind of empty without his sight.

Everything here is rustic bringing a comfortable sensation. Maybe it’s because of the motivational framed pictures hanging everywhere or all the seats token by happy afternoon chatting. The mixture of the brown furniture with the long white walls calls my attention and I think that even the small garden outside has its own part on this atmosphere. Everything is so complete, but without him here, I can see emptiness.

“Makoto.”

A calming voice on my left surprised me. My eyes turned fast and lost at the direction.

“Haru?”

My throat went dry and my heart started jumping against my chest. Wasn’t he in the kitchen?

“You didn’t drink.”

His cold eyes dodging towards the green mug over the table illustrated his affirmation. I followed his move seeing the black and cold drink sadly forgotten. He was never good with words, but I knew that this simple question was his way of showing care and that alone made me a happy fool.

“I got a little distracted…” In silence, he watched me as if trying to decipher my words. “I am working… A lot…”

“Want another cup?”

“No. It’s fine.” I smiled the only way I know while he nodded half believing me.

It was always like this. His short sentences were actually exalted questions, but not everyone could understand it. The quiet type that only cares about water could easily mistake Haru, but I knew he wasn’t like this and under all that cold, his feelings were running like a river.

Turning back, he watched the desk in the distance. There were curious clients getting near slowing turning it into a line. I saw him taking a step ahead feeling the distance growing again.

“Makoto.” His voice called loud but still calm.

“Yes?”

“Don’t overdo it.”

Without looking back, he walked straight at his work leaving me with the typical expression of closed eyes and trembled smile. If he knew what those words could do to me, he wouldn’t have said it. Ah… My heartbeats were getting out of control again. I had to force myself to turn my face to the window.

It seems stupid to feel happy over something so simple, such normal thing to say. I am this type of person who usually says it all the time to my colleagues and even to Haru. But… This sentence show that he is concerned. With me. Ah, Haru…!

The request from earlier hit me once again making me clinch my fists. Hearing my voice echoing those words inside my mind was enough to make my already red face turn into flames. My hands automatically covered my cheeks trying stupidly to hide my embarrassment.

I knew that I couldn’t turn back now so I had to make my mind understand that those words weren’t from me to Haru. It was for a friend. For a friend!

Timidly, my eyes turned into his direction seeing that same unimpressive face staring at the talking client. I bit my lips desperate. “Nothing will change”, I told myself trying to get together. “It will be just another order for him”.

My hands leaned on the table and my eyes watched the lonely mug. A heavy sigh left my lips while I nodded to myself. Fast, I turned the mug down my throat feeling that cold liquid going down, consuming me and making my face twitch. Cold coffee is terrible.

**—**

End of the day, end of my shift, end… Oh! No, no yet!

Shaking my head, I opened the door stepping once again inside this bakery.

There he was. Must be tired of listening to the same sentences all day, same orders, same comments, same… Oh, he saw me.

I smiled watching him nod slightly with the same apathetic look. It wasn’t a surprise to see me visit the place more than once a day and I didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing.

As awkward as possible I walked to the short line while straightening my clothes. A typical and soft jazz were playing in the back bringing color and warm to that end of day. The voices were mixing with each other and I still couldn’t get rid of the trembling in my hands. I swear I was trying to be brave.

I am going to say it. I step ahead. I am going to make it right. Another step. And then we-

“Makoto?”

His low and still voice called me making my foot stop before doing another move. I looked at him, his eyes were facing me so serious just like before, but, maybe, a little more insistent. It felt like he wanted to know why I came back. I laughed short and nervously knowing that this mistake just made things worse for this situation.

“Same as before?”

That was my routine: almost every day I would pass by around this time to drink something and wait for his shift end so we could go back home together. But today…

His question made my heart shake and my hands sweat a little more reminding me of my mission. My stomach turning into ice and the words stuck in my throat almost made me choke.

The delay in my answer didn’t seem to bother him and as if he already knew what to do he turned around in the direction of the kitchen. My body bowed towards him making my hands stop at the desk to give me support and, for instinct, I opened my mouth unsure about what would come out.

“No!” He stopped looking at me from above his shoulder. Saliva went down cutting my throat. “I have a… order to make.” He looked somewhat surprised when turned to me.

Sweat started to make drops on my temples while I smiled trying strongly to calm down. In front of me, I saw him reaching for a pen and a small notepad before leaning on the desk ready to write.

“What is it?”

Ah… What was I going to say? My smile vanished and my eyes locked on his soft hair. I saw him patiently waiting while rolling the pen slowing through his fingers. It was a horrible situation and, right now, I just realized that I should have declined helping.

I couldn’t even remember what I was supposed to do, but I knew that whatever I had planned before was gone.

The pen started moving making my eyes follow. He was marking down the typical information. Because, probably, he got tired of waiting.

My parted lips were dry and the hot air was making the heat on my body get worse. I felt dizzy for a moment.

“You can tell me if already decided.” Spoke again trying to hush me a little.

I sighed, closed my mouth and swallowed down my embarrassment.

“One cake.” I said fast listening to my heartbeats making my head tremble. “Small. Like those for two people.” I couldn’t even explain anything anymore and even so Haru kept writing. “Chocolate. And strawberries.”

“Anything written?”

This question sounded like a spell shutting up everything around and leaving my mind in blank.

I hesitated feeling the heat getting unbearable, suffocating me. I closed my eyes looking for any tips about what I have said the whole afternoon, but nothing came. My lips parted and my eyes looked at his hair again when my voice left small:

“Do you want to go out with me?”

My heavy breath was making my chest move fast, my eyes was almost jumping out of my face with fear while my lips were being bitten by regret. It wasn’t my confession but, oh lord, it sounded so much like it. And it was way worse than I was expecting to!

The pen wasn’t moving ever since I said that and there wasn’t any sign that I could understand. Something was wrong.

Before I could get into full panic, I saw Haru lifting his head towards me with unusual surprised eyes. What’s with this expression? Why I am holding my breath already?

“Makoto,” his voice was loud and I could feel some kind of urge “was it…” without even blinking he talked as if he was alone in there, stopping himself before concluding any though like he was lost. “Are you going out with some-”

Oh, no.

“No! No.” Desperate I answered interrupting him. “It’s… For a colleague.”

“From work?”

“Yes!”

“Are you going out with this person?”

“What?”

All those questions left me in chock. For some minutes, I stood in there looking at his apprehensive face trying to make out a reason for this and then the long silence between us made me realize that he didn’t understood my explanation.

Letting go of the tension on my shoulders, I laughed.

“No, Haru…” My face was burning red and if we kept going with this conversation, soon everyone around would be hearing us scream. “A colleague from work asked me to make this order because he wants to confess for someone. It’s not mine.”

“Ah…” his eyes turned back to normal and for an instant I saw his shoulders lowering.

Was he tense? I asked myself. My eyes that were paralyzed by fear, right now wide up watching him go back to writing. If I didn’t know him I would say that this attitude was a typical one, but that wasn’t the case. I knew Haru and something was telling me that my answer gave him some relive.

“Haru…” I called, confused seeing him take the note from the pad.

“I am going to send them your order. Wait here.”

Without looking at me, he walked away going straight to the kitchen as if nothing has happened.

I watched the scene with eyebrows up. Was it too presumptuous to think that he was jealous even for a minute, right? But, even so, this idea got me troubled.

An awkward laugh came after a sigh left and then an unbearable smile got stuck on my lips. My hands even tried to hide it while still trying to understand what happened.

Sure, I didn’t confess to him, even if the way I made this order made my whole body go crazy with those true feelings. And he didn’t answer to my request, even if he only stopped staring at my face when I finally explained the situation. Ah, what was all of it?

Maybe I should try it myself next time… Right? Even… Even if he says no? Because he can also say yes… Right?

Ah, I am losing control again! Ah, Haru!!


End file.
